'Quick trip' to Africa proves to be a resounding success

To be honest, like most people, I would not have thought of a quick trip to Africa when planning for a vacation. By quick I mean eight days with my feet actually on African soil. Add three days to get there and back and you have 11 days away.

My two other trips to Africa were both a month in duration. So, I will admit that I viewed this as a bit of an experiment to see if the long travel time between Vancouver and Africa would be outweighed by my experiences. Most of the people I mentioned this trip to determined that I was a bit crazy. No one is used to hearing the words quick and Africa in the same sentence. It was pointed out to me that a more proper use of the term would be to say "I am off for a quick trip to Kelowna."

Well I just recently returned from my "quick trip" to Africa and I am glad to say that it was a resounding success. One of the keys to making this short long-distance holiday work was finding an itinerary that covered many places that were not too far apart. The other was selecting Kenya.

Kenya is an amazing little country with unbelievable wildlife-viewing opportunities, stunning geographical variation and unique people. My brain was processing so much visual information that after the third day out of Nairobi, it already felt like a week, and by the end of the safari, it easily felt more like two weeks instead of just eight days.

My trip was at the end of May and considered a low season safari. It started in Nairobi and headed to Mount Kenya, then Lake Nakuru, then Lake Naivasha, and finally the Masai Mara. For anyone's first trip to Kenya, this is a great route because it will introduce you to many of the highlights of this truly diverse country. Low season safaris offer attractive pricing and fewer visitors and vehicles in the national parks. The trade-off is that you are travelling during the rainy season, but that does not necessarily mean you will get rained on. Luckily on this trip the rains only appeared on the second last day and then only in quick outbursts. Also be warned, the roads outside of Nairobi are horrific at best, but they are part of the adventure and the only way to really see the day-to-day working of this country and its people.

Mount Kenya is the second-highest mountain in Africa and it is said if you see the actual summit, you will live an extra 10 years. Lake Nakuru boasts the largest accumulation of flamingos (as in millions), and like the Masai Mara, Nakuru offers the opportunity to see all of the big five -- elephant, Cape buffalo, rhino, leopard and lion. Lake Naivasha is famous for its hippo population with over 1,000 animals calling the lake home. Other inhabitants include pelicans, herons, egrets and waterbucks. The Masai Mara is Kenya's prize jewel. It forms the northern tip of Tanzania's Serengeti Plain and is accentuated by amazing vistas and golden savannah, plus an abundance of wildlife experiences just waiting to be discovered.

Now this may sound wonderful, and it was, but I am not a good sleeper on airplanes, so there is a price to pay: two nine-hour flights each way with many hours in a European airport. I had to rely on constant catnapping until I could hit a bed in Nairobi. However, I am pleased to have just discovered that leaving Vancouver in the early morning and going through Toronto you can actually eliminate one overnight on a plane as you land in Nairobi in the evening instead of the next morning.

One thing I noticed about lodge safaris is that it is similar to being on a cruise ship.

The buffet breakfasts, lunches and dinners become a bit overwhelming. I know, you don't have to eat everything, but it takes your brain and stomach a few days to realize this fact. So, next time I feel like a quick getaway, I will not hesitate to head back to Kenya.

Christopher Clark is a member of the Serengeti Design Group of Vancouver.

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Do you have a travel memory you'd like to share with Sun readers? Mail your story, in 500 to 700 words, with a picture, to Postcards, c/o Linda Bates, Ste. 1, 200 Granville, Vancouver, B.C. V6C 3N3 or e-mail lbates@png.canwest.com. Pictures will not be returned.

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